A quick look at the top of our Kpreps.com 2011 preseason rankings and you will see the names of a lot of traditional powers in Kansas high school football. Maybe surprisingly, you only see a handful of teams that took home state championships last fall atop our polls.
While we will be the first to agree that defending champions are the champions until they are dethroned, we’ve never subscribed to the theory that they are automatic favorite for the following year’s crown.
We’ve targeted three teams to repeat as champions in 2011; Meade in 2-1A, Madison in 8 Man-I, and Baileyville B&B in 8 Man-II.
Does that mean that we think that the other defending state champions will not be a factor in their respective classifications? Not a chance.
Wichita Heights returns a solid group of starters that were vital in the Falcons first state title last fall. Rick Wheeler’s team will certainly be the favorite in the western half of Class 6A.
The Blue Valley Tigers return offensive star power in quarterback Kyle Zimmerman and running back Justin Fulks, but must replace their entire defensive unit from 2010.
In Class 4A, Louisburg’s storybook run was the benefit of a large senior class. The Wildcats return just three starters, but one of those may be one of the top players in the state in RB/LB Garrett Griffin.
There’s a similar story in Class 3A as Silver Lake returns just a handful of starters off of their 13-1 state title team. Veteran coach CJ Hamilton has a tough task ahead of him in 2011, but the Eagles still have to be the favorite in the eastern half of 3A.
The 2011 season promises to be an exciting one. Each classification is full of several teams capable of making a run at a state championship. Perhaps unlike season’s past, there doesn’t seem to be a lot of clear cut favorites.
We’re anxious to hear from you the reader about ranking the state’s top teams on a weekly basis. Each week we will post a poll of ten teams per classification and allow you the reader to vote on your choice for the top team in each class.
We’ll open the voting for the Kpreps’ Fan Rankings on Saturday mornings, and announce the results of the voting later each week.
Click the Rankings tab on the main page to view the Kpreps 2011 Preseason Top 5 for each class.
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